Earlier this week, Nissan took its 2015 LeMans contender out for a spin at the Sebring International Raceway, where it underwent a number of shakedown passes and (briefly) ran ahead of one of Audi’s all-conquering R18 e-Tron Quattro diesels.

Whether or not the Nissan’s innovative design and maximized fuel and tire efficiency will be enough to get the Nissan GTR LM Nismo racer to the head of the pack at LeMans is, so far, anyone’s guess. All the same, you can check out the video (at top) along with an up-close pic from the Chicago Auto Show (below) and let us know what you think Nissan’s odds are in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

2015 Nissan GTR LM Hybrid

The McLaren P1 isn’t just one of the most powerful hybrids on the planet, it’s one of the most powerful production cars ever. How do you top that? With an even crazier version that is so balls-to-the-wall crazy, that you can only legally drive it on a race track. That, my friends, is the McLaren P1 GTR, which has finally been revealed in its production spec.

So how has McLaren made an already-bonkers automobile even wilder? For one, the 3.8 liter V8 has been cranked up to 789 horsepower, with an additional 197 horsepower from a pair of electric motors that give the GTR a total output of 986 ponies, compared to “only” 903 horsepower in a plain P1. That slightly bests the standard LaFerrari, but falls short of topping the track-only LaFerrari XX with its 1,035 horsepower.

Of course the real winner will have to be determined by a trackday showdown…if Ferrari will allow it, that is. Like the LaFerrari XX, the McLaren P1 GTR will be kept for owners at its home track, Spains Circuit de Catalunya, and buyers can expect to pay upwards of $3 million for the privilege of owning one. For that price though, you don’t even get a passenger seat…because who needs a passenger seat in a race car?

For that chunk of change, designers found a way to shed an additional 110 pounds from the curb weight of the hybrid hypercar without going totally carbon fiber. There’s also a larger fixed-position spoiler, a lower center of gravity, and a sharper aerodynamics package to cut through the air. “This is about as close as you’re going to get to Formula One performance on the road,” said McLaren’s Chris Goodwin of the GTR.

“When the R35 launched in 2009 it was a massive leap forward, and we need to make sure when the next generation comes, it’s a similar leap forward. Not just the car itself, but the overall effect for Nissan,” said Nissan UK’s sports car chief, James Oliver. “I think (a GTR hybrid) is the obvious direction,” Oliver told Top Gear. “There’s been obsessive development of the GTR over the years, and at some point we will move onto the next generation car … and, at Nissan, we’ve got great expertise and investment of electric.”

The R36 GTR is expected to use a version of the 550 HP hybrid power unit shown in the Infiniti Q80 concept that debuted earlier this month. That model introduced featured a drive train consisting of a twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 paired to a powerful electric motor. According to Infiniti officials at the Paris unveiling of the Q80, “the new engine offers a precursor to a family of engines that will be introduced to the (Nissan and) Infiniti portfolio(s) within the next two years,” which- you’ll notice- would be just in time for the launch of the 2016 R36 GTR.

When asked about the appearance of the new R36 GTR, Oliver reportedly pointed to Nissan’s Vision 2020 Concept for the Gran Turismo 6 racing game (below), describing it as a “design study” for the new car. That said, I think TopSpeed’s renderings from last year (shown, below below) are a much more likely R36 design direction.

Nissan GTR Vision 2020 Design Study

Nissan R36 GTR Rendered by TopSpeed

With a 890 horsepower hybrid drivetrain, an advanced carbon fiber body, and some of the best aerodynamics in the world, you wouldn’t think there’d be much room left to improve upon the McLaren P1. And you’d be wrong. The hypercar maker is adding more power and more downforce to the McLaren P1 GTR, which is built as a strictly track-only machine.

The GTR program will begin once production of the standard P1 concludes later this year, with deliveries slated to begin in early 2015. Before then though McLaren headed down to Bahrain for some (extremely) hot weather testing, where they snapped these teaser shots for us plebeians to drool over. Customers who shell out the $1 million+ price tag of the P1 GTR will be treated to an exclusive driver training program to help them handle the herculean hypercar, which has trimmed down and bulked for this new edition.

A huge new rear wing delivering over 1,200-lbs of downforce at 160 MPH is the most obvious change, as is the exposed carbon fiber body. The slimmer side view mirrors may escape some less-keen eyes, but perhaps the most dramatic transformation of the P1 from road to track car is on the inside. Gone is the sporty-but-still-roundish steering wheel, replaced by a rectangular console-like navigation device similar to those found in race cars like the Porsche 919 Hybrid. With a power bump bringing total output over 1,000 horsepower, the McLaren P1 becomes on of just a handful of production cars boasting four-digit power numbers. By 2025, McLaren says it will produce hybrids exclusively, and it has become a major supporter of the Formula E, which should indicate where they think the future of performance is heading.

So what does it cost? Does it really matter? Not to anyone that will actually be able to afford it.

Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen spoke about the Nissan GTR-powered Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept, its production chances in the near-term (translation: while Nissan hurries to finish the R36 hybrid GTR), and the possibility of other Nissan/Infiniti models getting a GTR engine – known, internally, as the VR38TT – under the hood.

Before we get excited about new models, however, Nissan has to believe there’s a sound business case. “You know we have to get the economics to work, which is why I’m pushing the Eau Rouge concept for commercialization. Because once you’ve proven technical feasibility, you can go apply that in other things. I think that we should expect to see at least three different car lines across the Infiniti line up that feature that powertrain,” de Nysschen told MotorTrend. “You can imagine a high-end coupe. You can imagine a real high-performance luxury 4-seater … and it seems to me a logical evolution to do the new Q60.”

With demand for high-HP SUVs high enough to get some people to start building their own, I’d expect a GTR-engined QX60 and, honestly, would hope to see a three-pedal, GTR-powered Z (380ZTR?). What about you guys? What would you like to see from a ballsy Nissan/Infiniti? A 600 hp Frontier? A tire-shredding Quest minivan? Let us know, in the comments.

Nissan is pushing hybrid technology to its limits with its Nismo ZEOD RC LeMans racer set to challenge this year’s 24 hour race from the experiment “Garage 56” starting position. Next year, though, Nissan will run the full WEC season with an as-yet-unrevealed LMP hybrid … and the high-tech bits from that car will see street duty in the 2016 Nissan R36 GTR.

While details on Nissan’s 2015 contender are scarce, its 2014 entry is already on the cutting edge – but Nissan execs are already saying that 2015 will see something “a little bit different” to what Audi, Porsche, and Toyota are doing.

What do you guys think Nissan has up it sleeve for LeMans and its 2016 Nissan GTR? Something wild, or something more Morgan-ish (which, for LeMans, is pretty conventional)? Let us know, in the comments.

Based in Oberlin, Ohio and surrounded by cornfields and fast country roads, Switzer Performance is no stranger to mega-fast, ethanol-fueled street beasts. It’s rare, however, that one of the firm’s 200 MPH hyper cars makes its way to Europe, however, so when the first of the company’s “Cornzilla” E1K engines (Ethanol-optimized, 1000+ HP = E1K) found its way under the hood of a Dutch Nissan back in January, it was news. Now, the car is ready and- as you can see- it’s spitting noise and fire all over Holland.

In addition to the Switzer Performance-spec E1K engine, the guys at Total Car (who prepared the car) also fitted the R35 Nissan GTR with a Pfitzner Performance gearbox loaded with custom PPG gears, while a Dodson clutch and transmission internals struggle to keep them together under the massive power of the engine. An HKS-sourced auxiliary transmission cooler and transmission pan help with that, as well, while a set of AP racing brakes help haul the super-rapid car down from triple-digit speeds.

Full disclosure: Switzer Performance was my 9-5 for several years, and I’ve known the Switzer boys even longer than that. They’re good friends, they stood at my wedding, and I’ve cried at them, on them, and because of them a number of times. That said, the stopwatch/dynamometer doesn’t lie. Good job, guys!

Switzer Performance builds some of the fastest, most powerful flex-fuel vehicles in the world from its “home base” in Oberlin, Ohio. We’ve covered a few of the cars here, before, but few are as “out there” as the radical Switzer Performance E1K R35 GTR Nissan. The E1K shown, above, has been one of the stars of the Texas Mile and Shift Sector Time Attack events in recent years. Now, a similar Switzer E1K is nearing completion, and it’s set to take on the best from Bugatti and Lamborghini in similar high-speed driving events across Europe.

Assembled by the performance experts at TotalCar Concepts in the Netherlands, this car is fitted with Switzer’s E1K PKG, which promises to deliver more than 1000 HP directly to the wheels of the R35 GTR Nissan shown here. Earlier this week, Richard at TotalCar posted this video of the car’s first start on his company’s Facebook page. You can check out that video, below …

We’ve talked a lot about the cars that come from Oberlin, Ohio’s Switzer Performance. What we don’t usually talk about are the three generations of Switzer family that currently occupy the sprawling, 80,000 sq. ft. shop space and the whys and hows of the automotive industry that took the shop from a 2 car garage to the a performance tuning powerhouse. Now that Switzer has come on-board as an official sponsor of Gas 2, we thought it might be time for a more “personal” introduction to the people behind the power.

Here’s Tymme Switzer, the oldest of the second generation of Switzers and current President of Switzer Performance, telling some of the company’s story. As you watch the video, keep an eye out for the ethanol-fueled Switzer F900 Porsche 997 and more than a few flex-fuel Switzer Nissan E1K GTR conversions. Enjoy!

According to the guys at Switzer Performance, the car you see here is (which I got to drive, briefly, back in October) represents an all-new idea. In its finished form, this is a 1350 HP hypercar that rockets to a top speed of 225 MPH and asks nothing more from the driver than to sit down, shut up, and hang on. Welcome to a whole new breed of no-excuses performance car, the USE Flex Fuel GTR from Switzer Performance.

When Switzer first introduced the Ultimate Street Edition GTR last year, they reset the bar and redefined what a daily driven car could be. The Ultimate Street Edition (USE) GTRs delivered nearly 1000 HP on readily available premium gasoline and rocketed down the quarter mile in about 9 seconds, and they did it all while carrying a 2 year warranty from Switzer Cars.

In the Flex Fuel version if the USE, the standard Switzer engine package and USE turbos get backed up by larger fuel injectors, a higher-capacity fuel supply system, and the latest version of Syvecs’ SGTR engine management system.

It’s that Syvecs unit that keeps everything in the USE-FF copacetic. “The new system we’ve been able to come up with picks up where the E900 left off,” explains Neil Switzer, the head performance consultant at Switzer Performance. “In the early cars, we had an E85 tune and we had separate files for gasoline. It was important for the customer to switch to the right map when they refueled based on a digital read-out of the fuel mixture’s ethanol content and a list of maps. In the USE-FF, the Switzer/Syvecs systems work with a number of sensors to tune the car on the fly, so if you have half a tank of E85 and half a tank of 91 octane, for example, you’re not running a compromised tune that can blow a head gasket … or worse.”

The flex fuel capability of the USE-FF boosts the ultimate HP of the USE by more than 30%, by virtue of the E85/ethanol’s higher resistance to pre-ignition than gasoline allowing the USE-FF GTR to run higher boost levels and ignition timing with a few other “black art” engine tuning tricks. On E85 at full boost, the cars are easy 9-second flat performers with 8 second potential when equipped with one of Switzer’s 6 wheel sets of Signature Series performance wheels and DOT-approved drag slicks. You can see that in the first customer car, which ran a 9.00 at Milan last month on DOT tires.

The Switzer USE-FF conversion adds $79,990, with a number of options available to boost the price higher- which seems excessive, until you realize that nothing on four wheels is both cheaper and faster. Contact Switzer Performance for more.

Full disclosure: Switzer Performance sponsors Gas 2, and we’ve known the Switzer boys for years both personally and professionally. That said, the stopwatch doesn’t lie. Good job, guys!

When I last drove a flex-fuel Switzer GTR, it was the Ultimate Street Edition with “just” 1000 hp. With nearly 700 more horses under the hood, I can’t imagine what driving the Goliath would be like. What I can imagine is that I’ll run into at least five people who’ll see the “ethanol” leaf on the car and feel compelled to tell me how horrible ethanol is for a car’s performance. I’ll be sure to let you know when that happens next- stay tuned!

Earlier this month, the (relatively) new wife and I set off a road trip from Chicago to New England. “We’re leaf peeping!” she said, more than once. Along the way, we stopped off at Oberlin, Ohio and paid a visit to my friends at Switzer Performance.

As one of the world’s premier tuning shops and flex-fuel/ethanol performance specialists, the Switzer boys always have some sort of high-horsepower, turbocharged goodness on-hand. Today, the ride of choice was a super-silver Nissan GTR, which had recently been fitted with one of Switzer’s 1000 hp “Ultimate Street Edition” flex-fuel engine packages and the latest Switzer/Syvecs ECU to keep everything running right.

Just hours before I arrived, Tym Switzer and his crew had taken the car out to Michigan’s Milan dragway to verify that everything in the car was working right before sending it home to its new owner in New York. With more than double the original horsepower the car came with from the factory and a few hundred new components that need to be fit, tightened, and tested “just so”, this kind of “real-world” verification is a serious part of Switzer’s quality control process.

At the track, the car performed flawlessly, ripping off a 1/4 mile pass in just 9.00 seconds at more than 160 mph …

… just the thing, in other words, to clear my head after a morning filled with 350-odd miles of flat, featureless I-80 driving across Northern Indiana.

Sliding into the car, I found the Nissan GTR to be utterly familiar territory – as it should be! Switzer was my 9-5 for several years, so this was hardly my first high-powered Nissan GTR rodeo. Neil Switzer got into the car (to make sure I brought it back, I assume) and I pressed the start button, heard the Switzer-built engine roar to life, and started slowly pulling out of the garage.

The Switzer “Ultimate Street Edition” Nissan GTR drives just like a regular GTR. That’s both good and bad, because there is none of the thrill or drama that you’d expect from a blistering-fast supercar. Driving the car on the usual test loop up Lorian Rd. towards 20, the car was docile. Quiet. A little bit plain-Jane. “It’s supposed to be like that,” says Neil, in test-drive auto-pilot mode now. “It’s not a race car, it’s a street car. It’s got to be able to drive to work and then pick up the kids-”

“Neil,” I interrupted. “you and I wrote that script together like, a year ago.”

Neil seemed to think on that, but responded with “We should get some coffees.”

“The ultimate test of real-world drivability!”

“Exactly!”

Accelerating onto 20 was- well, I don’t want to get everyone I’ve ever known arrested, so I’ll just say that, when you put your right foot down the extreme levels performance available from these cars becomes readily apparent. It’s there. It’s real. It’s fast. 0-60 mph in 2 seconds seems conservative. Then, you get to your exit. You ease off. You slow down. All of a sudden, this Nissan GTR thrill ride could be a Camry or a Sentra. It’s as smooth. As quiet. On readily-available (in Ohio) E85, it even gets about 20 MPG.

Unlike other supercars with this level of performance (there aren’t many), the McDrive-thru girl had no problem hearing our order over the exhaust, and we got our sugar-free vanilla iced coffees without issue.

“I love these cars,” said Neil, as we pulled back into the shop’s parking lot.

What’s not to love?

Original content from Gas 2, w/o notes. Quotes/order of events are hazy memories.

We’ve covered Switzer Performance’s flex-fuel street beasts several times here on Gas 2. Whether the story has been a 900 hp flex-fuel Porsche or a low-emission, ethanol GTR, however, the story can usually be summed up with 2 words: green speed.

In a few weeks, one of Switzer’s customer cars – the 1000 hp E1K GTR that took the TX2K10 and TX2K12 invitationals – will be headed out to Shift S3ctor’s Airstrip Attack event. I covered the announcement on Switzer’s blog, and re-posted it for you all, below. Enjoy!

Boulder Nissan‘s P800 has shown up on these pages in the past, after winning the TX2K10 and hitting fantastic speeds at the Texas Mile event immediately afterwards. Since then, the car has “outgrown” its P800 markings, and has been turned into a 1000 hp, ethanol-fueled track-terror. We call it…

The last time I was playing in the Switzer sandbox was almost 2 years ago, when the Ohio-based tuner rolled out its first 900+ hp E85-fueled supercar. We I named the car “Cornzilla”, which I felt was very clever. Here’s a secret, though – and it’s something even more clever than my maize-based attempts at flex-fuel humor: the car works.

Switzer’s E900 model GTR Nissans works so well, in fact, that the company’s built a few more – and one of them recently whipped the competition at this year’s Runway Tuner Shootout back in March. That showing got the attention of Matt Farah’s Smoking Tire blog, which called the E900 “not just another GTR, because this is the fastest street car he’s ever driven.”

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The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.

The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.